Zelie Girl

When fresh-faced college student Amy McKay met tall and earnest Dan Core, he promised to "show her the world" if she married him. Neither one knew this promise would lead them from the bucolic hills of Southwestern Pennsylvania, where they had both been raised in families fractured by the aftermath of World War I and the Great Crash of 1929, to the far-flung shores of British colonial high society. Through all of their travels, Amy embraced the spirit of adventure - engaging in new experiences, forging new friendships, and seizing every opportunity to satisfy her insatiable curiosity and explore about the world around her.

In a series of essays and vignettes, this book captures the essence of growing up in small-town America during the Great Depression, coming of age against the backdrop of World War II, and building a family during the latter half of the 20th century, the so-called "Golden Age," where even average Americans could find themselves in extraordinary places among fascinating people.

Part local and family histories and part travelogue, this memoir explores how, through their travels, Amy met and befriended the grande dames of the British colonial and U.S. elite, dined with a dictator's first lady and rubbed elbows with royalty, all while raising a typical American family in the '50s and '60s. Journey with Amy, now in her centennial year, as she reveals how Dan fulfilled his promise to "show her the world," taking them on adventures beyond her wildest imagination.